Camera module and mobile terminal having the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a camera module and mobile terminal having the same, and more particularly, to a camera module, including: a printed circuit board in which a plurality of sensor holes separated from each other in a length direction are formed; a plurality of image sensors connected to the printed circuit board; and a lens module disposed on a top portion of each of the plurality of image sensors, wherein the image sensors are attached to positions corresponding to the plurality of sensor holes on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and mobile terminal having the same.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/927,724, filed on Mar. 21, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,506,143, whichclaims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority toKorean Application No. 10-2017-0173926, filed on Dec. 18, 2017, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a camera module and mobile terminalhaving the same, and more particularly, a camera module for obtaining anaccurate stereoscopic image (3D image) through a wide angle of view andmobile terminal having the same.

Discussion of the Related Art

Terminals may be generally classified as mobile/portable terminals orstationary terminals according to their mobility. Mobile terminals mayalso be classified as handheld terminals or vehicle mounted terminalsaccording to whether or not a user can directly carry the terminal.

Mobile terminals have become increasingly more functional. Examples ofsuch functions include data and voice communications, capturing imagesand video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via aspeaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Somemobile terminals include additional functionality which supports gameplaying, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players.More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receivebroadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing of content such asvideos and television programs.

Efforts are ongoing to support and increase the functionality of mobileterminals. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, aswell as changes and improvements in the structural components.

In addition, the mobile terminal may include a camera module. In recentyears, much attention has been paid to a technology for creating astereoscopic image (i.e., 3D image) using a plurality of cameras.

To create an accurate stereoscopic image and obtain an image with a wideangle of view using a plurality of cameras, predetermined alignment ofthe plurality of cameras needs to be maintained.

That is, if predetermined alignment of a plurality of camera modules ischanged due to an external shock or degradation of the camera modules,the performance thereof may decrease due to the alignment deviation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve theaforementioned problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera modulecapable of maintaining predetermined alignment of a plurality of camerasdisposed thereon and mobile terminal having the same.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a camera modulecapable of obtaining an accurate stereoscopic image by preventing atleast one of a plurality of cameras from being tilted or rotated andmobile terminal having the same.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cameramodule capable of obtaining an angle of view as wide as possible bypreventing at least one of a plurality of cameras from being tilted orrotated and mobile terminal having the same.

To achieve these objects and other advantages, in an aspect of thepresent invention, provided herein is a camera module, including: aprinted circuit board in which a plurality of sensor holes separatedfrom each other in a length direction are formed; a plurality of imagesensors connected to the printed circuit board; and a lens moduledisposed on a top portion of each of the plurality of image sensors,wherein the image sensors may be attached to positions corresponding tothe plurality of sensor holes on a bottom surface of the printed circuitboard.

In this case, a circumference of a top surface of an image sensor may beattached to a circumference of a sensor hole.

The image sensor may include a sensor body, a sensing unit provided at acenter of the sensor body, and a first adhesive part disposed along acircumference of the sensing unit on a top surface of the sensor body.

In addition, the first adhesive part may be attached to thecircumference of the sensor hole on the bottom surface of the printedcircuit board.

In addition, a first socket for electrically connecting the image sensorto the printed circuit board may be provided in the first adhesive part.Moreover, a second socket corresponding to the first socket may beprovided along the circumference of the sensor hole on the bottomsurface of the printed circuit board. Further, the first socket may beattached to the second socket

The camera module may further include a fixed bracket for fixing theplurality of image sensors at the positions corresponding to theplurality of sensor holes.

In this case, it is preferable that the fixed bracket is attached to thebottom surface of the printed circuit board.

The fixed bracket may include a mounting part on which each of theplurality of image sensors is disposed, and a second adhesive partattached to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

In addition, compared to the second adhesive part, the mounting part maybe formed to have a concave upward shape.

The mounting part may be formed to have a size corresponding to theimage sensor, and the image sensor may be fixed within the mountingunit.

To dissipate heat generated by the printed circuit board and imagesensors, the fixed bracket may be made of a heat conduction material.

The plurality of image sensors may be connected to the single printedcircuit board. At least one of an infrared emitter, a flash, and acontrol unit is disposed between the plurality of sensor holes on a topsurface of the printed circuit board, and the control unit may beelectrically connected to the image sensors, the flash, and the infraredemitter.

The lens module may include a hollow lens housing, at least one lensprovided in the lens housing, and an ultraviolet filter provided at abottom side of the lens in the lens housing, and a bottom of the lenshousing may be connected to a circumference of a sensor hole on a topsurface of the printed circuit board.

In another aspect of the present invention, provided herein is a mobileterminal, including: a case defining an appearance and having a camerahole; and a camera module disposed on a position corresponding to thecamera hole within the case, wherein the camera module may include: aprinted circuit board in which a plurality of sensor holes separatedfrom each other in a length direction are formed; a plurality of imagesensors connected to the printed circuit board; and a lens moduledisposed on a top portion of each of the plurality of image sensors, andwherein the image sensors may be attached to positions corresponding tothe plurality of sensor holes on a bottom surface of the printed circuitboard.

An image sensor may include a sensor body, a sensing unit provided at acenter of the sensor body, and a first adhesive part disposed along acircumference of the sensing unit on a top surface of the sensor body,and the first adhesive part may be attached to a circumference of asensor hole on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

In addition, a first socket for electrically connecting the image sensorto the printed circuit board may be provided in the first adhesive part.Moreover, a second socket corresponding to the first socket may beprovided along the circumference of the sensor hole on the bottomsurface of the printed circuit board. In this case, the first socket maybe attached to the second socket.

The mobile terminal may further include a fixed bracket for fixing theplurality of image sensors at the positions corresponding to theplurality of sensor holes, and the fixed bracket may be attached to thebottom surface of the printed circuit board.

The fixed bracket may include a mounting part on which each of theplurality of image sensors is disposed, and a second adhesive partattached to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

Compared to the second adhesive part, the mounting part may be formed tohave a concave upward shape. In addition, the mounting part may beformed to have a size corresponding to an image sensor, and wherein theimage sensor is fixed within the mounting unit.

The mobile terminal may further include at least one of a user inputunit for receiving information from a user, a wireless communicationunit for communicating with outside, and a display unit for displayinginformation.

Accordingly, the present invention provides the following effects and/oradvantages.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cameramodule capable of maintaining predetermined alignment of a plurality ofcameras disposed thereon and mobile terminal having the same.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible toprovide a camera module capable of obtaining an accurate stereoscopicimage by preventing at least one of a plurality of cameras from beingtilted or rotated and mobile terminal having the same.

Moreover, according to the present invention, it is possible to providea camera module capable of obtaining an angle of view as wide aspossible by preventing at least one of a plurality of cameras from beingtilted or rotated and mobile terminal having the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings,which are given by illustration only, and thus are not limitative of thepresent invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are conceptual views of one example of the mobileterminal, viewed from different directions;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a camera module according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will now be given in detail according to exemplaryembodiments disclosed herein, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. For the sake of brief description with reference to thedrawings, the same or equivalent components may be provided with thesame reference numbers, and description thereof will not be repeated. Ingeneral, a suffix such as “module” and “unit” may be used to refer toelements or components. Use of such a suffix herein is merely intendedto facilitate description of the specification, and the suffix itself isnot intended to give any special meaning or function. In the presentdisclosure, that which is well-known to one of ordinary skill in therelevant art has generally been omitted for the sake of brevity. Theaccompanying drawings are used to help easily understand varioustechnical features and it should be understood that the embodimentspresented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such,the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any alterations,equivalents and substitutes in addition to those which are particularlyset out in the accompanying drawings.

It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may beused herein to describe various elements, these elements should not belimited by these terms. These terms are generally only used todistinguish one element from another.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected with” another element, the element can be connected with theother element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly connected with”another element, there are no intervening elements present.

A singular representation may include a plural representation unless itrepresents a definitely different meaning from the context. Terms suchas “include” or “has” are used herein and should be understood that theyare intended to indicate an existence of several components, functionsor steps, disclosed in the specification, and it is also understood thatgreater or fewer components, functions, or steps may likewise beutilized.

Mobile terminals presented herein may be implemented using a variety ofdifferent types of terminals. Examples of such terminals includecellular phones, smart phones, user equipment, laptop computers, digitalbroadcast terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portablemultimedia players (PMPs), navigators, portable computers (PCs), slatePCs, tablet PCs, ultra books, wearable devices (for example, smartwatches, smart glasses, head mounted displays (HMDs)), and the like.

By way of non-limiting example only, further description will be madewith reference to particular types of mobile terminals. However, suchteachings apply equally to other types of terminals, such as those typesnoted above. In addition, these teachings may also be applied tostationary terminals such as digital TV, desktop computers, and thelike.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1-3, where FIG. 1 is a block diagram of amobile terminal in accordance with the present disclosure, and FIGS. 2and 3 are conceptual views of one example of the mobile terminal, viewedfrom different directions.

The mobile terminal 100 is shown having components such as a wirelesscommunication unit 110, an input unit 120, a sensing unit 140, an outputunit 150, an interface unit 160, a memory 170, a controller 180, and apower supply unit 190. It is understood that implementing all of theillustrated components is not a requirement, and that greater or fewercomponents may alternatively be implemented.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 is shown havingwireless communication unit 110 configured with several commonlyimplemented components. For instance, the wireless communication unit110 typically includes one or more components which permit wirelesscommunication between the mobile terminal 100 and a wirelesscommunication system or network within which the mobile terminal islocated.

The wireless communication unit 110 typically includes one or moremodules which permit communications such as wireless communicationsbetween the mobile terminal 100 and a wireless communication system,communications between the mobile terminal 100 and another mobileterminal, communications between the mobile terminal 100 and an externalserver. Further, the wireless communication unit 110 typically includesone or more modules which connect the mobile terminal 100 to one or morenetworks. To facilitate such communications, the wireless communicationunit 110 includes one or more of a broadcast receiving module 111, amobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, ashort-range communication module 114, and a location information module115.

The input unit 120 includes a camera 121 for obtaining images or video,a microphone 122, which is one type of audio input device for inputtingan audio signal, and a user input unit 123 (for example, a touch key, apush key, a mechanical key, a soft key, and the like) for allowing auser to input information. Data (for example, audio, video, image, andthe like) is obtained by the input unit 120 and may be analyzed andprocessed by controller 180 according to device parameters, usercommands, and combinations thereof.

The sensing unit 140 is typically implemented using one or more sensorsconfigured to sense internal information of the mobile terminal, thesurrounding environment of the mobile terminal, user information, andthe like. For example, in FIG. 1, the sensing unit 140 is shown having aproximity sensor 141 and an illumination sensor 142.

If desired, the sensing unit 140 may alternatively or additionallyinclude other types of sensors or devices, such as a touch sensor, anacceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, a G-sensor, a gyroscope sensor,a motion sensor, an RGB sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a finger scansensor, a ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor (for example, camera121), a microphone 122, a battery gauge, an environment sensor (forexample, a barometer, a hygrometer, a thermometer, a radiation detectionsensor, a thermal sensor, and a gas sensor, among others), and achemical sensor (for example, an electronic nose, a health care sensor,a biometric sensor, and the like), to name a few. The mobile terminal100 may be configured to utilize information obtained from sensing unit140, and in particular, information obtained from one or more sensors ofthe sensing unit 140, and combinations thereof.

The output unit 150 is typically configured to output various types ofinformation, such as audio, video, tactile output, and the like. Theoutput unit 150 is shown having a display unit 151, an audio outputmodule 152, a haptic module 153, and an optical output module 154.

The display unit 151 may have an inter-layered structure or anintegrated structure with a touch sensor in order to facilitate a touchscreen. The touch screen may provide an output interface between themobile terminal 100 and a user, as well as function as the user inputunit 123 which provides an input interface between the mobile terminal100 and the user.

The interface unit 160 serves as an interface with various types ofexternal devices that can be coupled to the mobile terminal 100. Theinterface unit 160, for example, may include any of wired or wirelessports, external power supply ports, wired or wireless data ports, memorycard ports, ports for connecting a device having an identificationmodule, audio input/output (I/O) ports, video I/O ports, earphone ports,and the like. In some cases, the mobile terminal 100 may performassorted control functions associated with a connected external device,in response to the external device being connected to the interface unit160.

The memory 170 is typically implemented to store data to support variousfunctions or features of the mobile terminal 100. For instance, thememory 170 may be configured to store application programs executed inthe mobile terminal 100, data or instructions for operations of themobile terminal 100, and the like. Some of these application programsmay be downloaded from an external server via wireless communication.Other application programs may be installed within the mobile terminal100 at time of manufacturing or shipping, which is typically the casefor basic functions of the mobile terminal 100 (for example, receiving acall, placing a call, receiving a message, sending a message, and thelike). It is common for application programs to be stored in the memory170, installed in the mobile terminal 100, and executed by thecontroller 180 to perform an operation (or function) for the mobileterminal 100.

The controller 180 typically functions to control overall operation ofthe mobile terminal 100, in addition to the operations associated withthe application programs. The controller 180 may provide or processinformation or functions appropriate for a user by processing signals,data, information and the like, which are input or output by the variouscomponents depicted in FIG. 1, or activating application programs storedin the memory 170. As one example, the controller 180 controls some orall of the components illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 according to theexecution of an application program that have been stored in the memory170.

The power supply unit 190 can be configured to receive external power orprovide internal power in order to supply appropriate power required foroperating elements and components included in the mobile terminal 100.The power supply unit 190 may include a battery, and the battery may beconfigured to be embedded in the terminal body, or configured to bedetachable from the terminal body.

Referring still to FIG. 1, various components depicted in this figurewill now be described in more detail. Regarding the wirelesscommunication unit 110, the broadcast receiving module 111 is typicallyconfigured to receive a broadcast signal and/or broadcast associatedinformation from an external broadcast managing entity via a broadcastchannel. The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel, aterrestrial channel, or both. In some embodiments, two or more broadcastreceiving modules 111 may be utilized to facilitate simultaneouslyreceiving of two or more broadcast channels, or to support switchingamong broadcast channels.

The broadcast managing entity may be implemented using a server orsystem which generates and transmits a broadcast signal and/or broadcastassociated information, or a server which receives a pre-generatedbroadcast signal and/or broadcast associated information, and sends suchitems to the mobile terminal. The broadcast signal may be implementedusing any of a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a databroadcast signal, and combinations thereof, among others. The broadcastsignal in some cases may further include a data broadcast signalcombined with a TV or radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast signal may be encoded according to any of a variety oftechnical standards or broadcasting methods (for example, InternationalOrganization for Standardization (ISO), International ElectrotechnicalCommission (IEC), Digital Video Broadcast (DVB), Advanced TelevisionSystems Committee (ATSC), and the like) for transmission and receptionof digital broadcast signals. The broadcast receiving module 111 canreceive the digital broadcast signals using a method appropriate for thetransmission method utilized.

Examples of broadcast associated information may include informationassociated with a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, a broadcastevent, a broadcast service provider, or the like. The broadcastassociated information may also be provided via a mobile communicationnetwork, and in this case, received by the mobile communication module112.

The broadcast associated information may be implemented in variousformats. For instance, broadcast associated information may include anElectronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB),an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld(DVB-H), and the like. Broadcast signals and/or broadcast associatedinformation received via the broadcast receiving module 111 may bestored in a suitable device, such as a memory 170.

The mobile communication module 112 can transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals to and from one or more network entities. Typical examples of anetwork entity include a base station, an external mobile terminal, aserver, and the like. Such network entities form part of a mobilecommunication network, which is constructed according to technicalstandards or communication methods for mobile communications (forexample, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Code DivisionMulti Access (CDMA), CDMA2000(Code Division Multi Access 2000), EV-DO(Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized or Enhanced Voice-Data Only), WidebandCDMA (WCDMA), High Speed Downlink Packet access (HSDPA), HSUPA (HighSpeed Uplink Packet Access), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A (Long TermEvolution-Advanced), and the like). Examples of wireless signalstransmitted and/or received via the mobile communication module 112include audio call signals, video (telephony) call signals, or variousformats of data to support communication of text and multimediamessages.

The wireless Internet module 113 is configured to facilitate wirelessInternet access. This module may be internally or externally coupled tothe mobile terminal 100. The wireless Internet module 113 may transmitand/or receive wireless signals via communication networks according towireless Internet technologies.

Examples of such wireless Internet access include Wireless LAN (WLAN),Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Digital Living Network Alliance(DLNA), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA),HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), Long Term Evolution (LTE),LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), and the like. The wirelessInternet module 113 may transmit/receive data according to one or moreof such wireless Internet technologies, and other Internet technologiesas well.

In some embodiments, when the wireless Internet access is implementedaccording to, for example, WiBro, HSDPA, HSUPA, GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE,LTE-A and the like, as part of a mobile communication network, thewireless Internet module 113 performs such wireless Internet access. Assuch, the Internet module 113 may cooperate with, or function as, themobile communication module 112.

The short-range communication module 114 is configured to facilitateshort-range communications. Suitable technologies for implementing suchshort-range communications include BLUETOOTH™, Radio FrequencyIDentification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-WideBand(UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wireless-Fidelity(Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus), andthe like. The short-range communication module 114 in general supportswireless communications between the mobile terminal 100 and a wirelesscommunication system, communications between the mobile terminal 100 andanother mobile terminal 100, or communications between the mobileterminal and a network where another mobile terminal 100 (or an externalserver) is located, via wireless area networks. One example of thewireless area networks is a wireless personal area networks.

In some embodiments, another mobile terminal (which may be configuredsimilarly to mobile terminal 100) may be a wearable device, for example,a smart watch, a smart glass or a head mounted display (HMD), which isable to exchange data with the mobile terminal 100 (or otherwisecooperate with the mobile terminal 100). The short-range communicationmodule 114 may sense or recognize the wearable device, and permitcommunication between the wearable device and the mobile terminal 100.In addition, when the sensed wearable device is a device which isauthenticated to communicate with the mobile terminal 100, thecontroller 180, for example, may cause transmission of data processed inthe mobile terminal 100 to the wearable device via the short-rangecommunication module 114. Hence, a user of the wearable device may usethe data processed in the mobile terminal 100 on the wearable device.For example, when a call is received in the mobile terminal 100, theuser may answer the call using the wearable device. Also, when a messageis received in the mobile terminal 100, the user can check the receivedmessage using the wearable device.

The location information module 115 is generally configured to detect,calculate, derive or otherwise identify a position of the mobileterminal. As an example, the location information module 115 includes aGlobal Position System (GPS) module, a Wi-Fi module, or both. Ifdesired, the location information module 115 may alternatively oradditionally function with any of the other modules of the wirelesscommunication unit 110 to obtain data related to the position of themobile terminal.

As one example, when the mobile terminal uses a GPS module, a positionof the mobile terminal may be acquired using a signal sent from a GPSsatellite. As another example, when the mobile terminal uses the Wi-Fimodule, a position of the mobile terminal can be acquired based oninformation related to a wireless access point (AP) which transmits orreceives a wireless signal to or from the Wi-Fi module.

The input unit 120 may be configured to permit various types of input tothe mobile terminal 120. Examples of such input include audio, image,video, data, and user input. Image and video input is often obtainedusing one or more cameras 121. Such cameras 121 may process image framesof still pictures or video obtained by image sensors in a video or imagecapture mode. The processed image frames can be displayed on the displayunit 151 or stored in memory 170. In some cases, the cameras 121 may bearranged in a matrix configuration to permit a plurality of imageshaving various angles or focal points to be input to the mobile terminal100. As another example, the cameras 121 may be located in astereoscopic arrangement to acquire left and right images forimplementing a stereoscopic image.

The microphone 122 is generally implemented to permit audio input to themobile terminal 100. The audio input can be processed in various mannersaccording to a function being executed in the mobile terminal 100. Ifdesired, the microphone 122 may include assorted noise removingalgorithms to remove unwanted noise generated in the course of receivingthe external audio.

The user input unit 123 is a component that permits input by a user.Such user input may enable the controller 180 to control operation ofthe mobile terminal 100. The user input unit 123 may include one or moreof a mechanical input element (for example, a key, a button located on afront and/or rear surface or a side surface of the mobile terminal 100,a dome switch, a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like), or atouch-sensitive input, among others. As one example, the touch-sensitiveinput may be a virtual key or a soft key, which is displayed on a touchscreen through software processing, or a touch key which is located onthe mobile terminal at a location that is other than the touch screen.On the other hand, the virtual key or the visual key may be displayed onthe touch screen in various shapes, for example, graphic, text, icon,video, or a combination thereof.

The sensing unit 140 is generally configured to sense one or more of-internal information of the mobile terminal, surrounding environmentinformation of the mobile terminal, user information, or the like. Thecontroller 180 generally cooperates with the sending unit 140 to controloperation of the mobile terminal 100 or execute data processing, afunction or an operation associated with an application programinstalled in the mobile terminal based on the sensing provided by thesensing unit 140. The sensing unit 140 may be implemented using any of avariety of sensors, some of which will now be described in more detail.

The proximity sensor 141 may include a sensor to sense presence orabsence of an object approaching a surface, or an object located near asurface, by using an electromagnetic field, infrared rays, or the likewithout a mechanical contact. The proximity sensor 141 may be arrangedat an inner region of the mobile terminal covered by the touch screen,or near the touch screen.

The proximity sensor 141, for example, may include any of a transmissivetype photoelectric sensor, a direct reflective type photoelectricsensor, a mirror reflective type photoelectric sensor, a high-frequencyoscillation proximity sensor, a capacitance type proximity sensor, amagnetic type proximity sensor, an infrared rays proximity sensor, andthe like. When the touch screen is implemented as a capacitance type,the proximity sensor 141 can sense proximity of a pointer relative tothe touch screen by changes of an electromagnetic field, which isresponsive to an approach of an object with conductivity. In this case,the touch screen (touch sensor) may also be categorized as a proximitysensor.

The term “proximity touch” will often be referred to herein to denotethe scenario in which a pointer is positioned to be proximate to thetouch screen without contacting the touch screen. The term “contacttouch” will often be referred to herein to denote the scenario in whicha pointer makes physical contact with the touch screen. For the positioncorresponding to the proximity touch of the pointer relative to thetouch screen, such position will correspond to a position where thepointer is perpendicular to the touch screen. The proximity sensor 141may sense proximity touch, and proximity touch patterns (for example,distance, direction, speed, time, position, moving status, and thelike).

In general, controller 180 processes data corresponding to proximitytouches and proximity touch patterns sensed by the proximity sensor 141,and cause output of visual information on the touch screen. In addition,the controller 180 can control the mobile terminal 100 to executedifferent operations or process different data according to whether atouch with respect to a point on the touch screen is either a proximitytouch or a contact touch.

A touch sensor can sense a touch applied to the touch screen, such asdisplay unit 151, using any of a variety of touch methods. Examples ofsuch touch methods include a resistive type, a capacitive type, aninfrared type, and a magnetic field type, among others.

As one example, the touch sensor may be configured to convert changes ofpressure applied to a specific part of the display unit 151, or convertcapacitance occurring at a specific part of the display unit 151, intoelectric input signals. The touch sensor may also be configured to sensenot only a touched position and a touched area, but also touch pressureand/or touch capacitance. A touch object is generally used to apply atouch input to the touch sensor. Examples of typical touch objectsinclude a finger, a touch pen, a stylus pen, a pointer, or the like.

When a touch input is sensed by a touch sensor, corresponding signalsmay be transmitted to a touch controller. The touch controller mayprocess the received signals, and then transmit corresponding data tothe controller 180. Accordingly, the controller 180 may sense whichregion of the display unit 151 has been touched. Here, the touchcontroller may be a component separate from the controller 180, thecontroller 180, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the controller 180 may execute the same ordifferent controls according to a type of touch object that touches thetouch screen or a touch key provided in addition to the touch screen.Whether to execute the same or different control according to the objectwhich provides a touch input may be decided based on a current operatingstate of the mobile terminal 100 or a currently executed applicationprogram, for example.

The touch sensor and the proximity sensor may be implementedindividually, or in combination, to sense various types of touches. Suchtouches include a short (or tap) touch, a long touch, a multi-touch, adrag touch, a flick touch, a pinch-in touch, a pinch-out touch, a swipetouch, a hovering touch, and the like.

If desired, an ultrasonic sensor may be implemented to recognizeposition information relating to a touch object using ultrasonic waves.The controller 180, for example, may calculate a position of a wavegeneration source based on information sensed by an illumination sensorand a plurality of ultrasonic sensors. Since light is much faster thanultrasonic waves, the time for which the light reaches the opticalsensor is much shorter than the time for which the ultrasonic wavereaches the ultrasonic sensor. The position of the wave generationsource may be calculated using this fact. For instance, the position ofthe wave generation source may be calculated using the time differencefrom the time that the ultrasonic wave reaches the sensor based on thelight as a reference signal.

The camera 121 typically includes at least one a camera sensor (CCD,CMOS etc.), a photo sensor (or image sensors), and a laser sensor.

Implementing the camera 121 with a laser sensor may allow detection of atouch of a physical object with respect to a 3D stereoscopic image. Thephoto sensor may be laminated on, or overlapped with, the displaydevice. The photo sensor may be configured to scan movement of thephysical object in proximity to the touch screen. In more detail, thephoto sensor may include photo diodes and transistors at rows andcolumns to scan content received at the photo sensor using an electricalsignal which changes according to the quantity of applied light. Namely,the photo sensor may calculate the coordinates of the physical objectaccording to variation of light to thus obtain position information ofthe physical object.

The display unit 151 is generally configured to output informationprocessed in the mobile terminal 100. For example, the display unit 151may display execution screen information of an application programexecuting at the mobile terminal 100 or user interface (UI) and graphicuser interface (GUI) information in response to the execution screeninformation.

In some embodiments, the display unit 151 may be implemented as astereoscopic display unit for displaying stereoscopic images. A typicalstereoscopic display unit may employ a stereoscopic display scheme suchas a stereoscopic scheme (a glass scheme), an auto-stereoscopic scheme(glassless scheme), a projection scheme (holographic scheme), or thelike.

In general, a 3D stereoscopic image may include a left image (e.g., aleft eye image) and a right image (e.g., a right eye image). Accordingto how left and right images are combined into a 3D stereoscopic image,a 3D stereoscopic imaging method can be divided into a top-down methodin which left and right images are located up and down in a frame, anL-to-R (left-to-right or side by side) method in which left and rightimages are located left and right in a frame, a checker board method inwhich fragments of left and right images are located in a tile form, aninterlaced method in which left and right images are alternately locatedby columns or rows, and a time sequential (or frame by frame) method inwhich left and right images are alternately displayed on a time basis.

Also, as for a 3D thumbnail image, a left image thumbnail and a rightimage thumbnail can be generated from a left image and a right image ofan original image frame, respectively, and then combined to generate asingle 3D thumbnail image. In general, the term “thumbnail” may be usedto refer to a reduced image or a reduced still image. A generated leftimage thumbnail and right image thumbnail may be displayed with ahorizontal distance difference there between by a depth corresponding tothe disparity between the left image and the right image on the screen,thereby providing a stereoscopic space sense.

A left image and a right image required for implementing a 3Dstereoscopic image may be displayed on the stereoscopic display unitusing a stereoscopic processing unit. The stereoscopic processing unitcan receive the 3D image and extract the left image and the right image,or can receive the 2D image and change it into a left image and a rightimage.

The audio output module 152 is generally configured to output audiodata. Such audio data may be obtained from any of a number of differentsources, such that the audio data may be received from the wirelesscommunication unit 110 or may have been stored in the memory 170. Theaudio data may be output during modes such as a signal reception mode, acall mode, a record mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcastreception mode, and the like. The audio output module 152 can provideaudible output related to a particular function (e.g., a call signalreception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed by themobile terminal 100. The audio output module 152 may also be implementedas a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, or the like.

A haptic module 153 can be configured to generate various tactileeffects that a user feels, perceive, or otherwise experience. A typicalexample of a tactile effect generated by the haptic module 153 isvibration. The strength, pattern and the like of the vibration generatedby the haptic module 153 can be controlled by user selection or settingby the controller. For example, the haptic module 153 may outputdifferent vibrations in a combining manner or a sequential manner.

Besides vibration, the haptic module 153 can generate various othertactile effects, including an effect by stimulation such as a pinarrangement vertically moving to contact skin, a spray force or suctionforce of air through a jet orifice or a suction opening, a touch to theskin, a contact of an electrode, electrostatic force, an effect byreproducing the sense of cold and warmth using an element that canabsorb or generate heat, and the like.

The haptic module 153 can also be implemented to allow the user to feela tactile effect through a muscle sensation such as the user's fingersor arm, as well as transferring the tactile effect through directcontact. Two or more haptic modules 153 may be provided according to theparticular configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

An optical output module 154 can output a signal for indicating an eventgeneration using light of a light source. Examples of events generatedin the mobile terminal 100 may include message reception, call signalreception, a missed call, an alarm, a schedule notice, an emailreception, information reception through an application, and the like.

A signal output by the optical output module 154 may be implemented insuch a manner that the mobile terminal emits monochromatic light orlight with a plurality of colors. The signal output may be terminated asthe mobile terminal senses that a user has checked the generated event,for example.

The interface unit 160 serves as an interface for external devices to beconnected with the mobile terminal 100. For example, the interface unit160 can receive data transmitted from an external device, receive powerto transfer to elements and components within the mobile terminal 100,or transmit internal data of the mobile terminal 100 to such externaldevice. The interface unit 160 may include wired or wireless headsetports, external power supply ports, wired or wireless data ports, memorycard ports, ports for connecting a device having an identificationmodule, audio input/output (I/O) ports, video I/O ports, earphone ports,or the like.

The identification module may be a chip that stores various informationfor authenticating authority of using the mobile terminal 100 and mayinclude a user identity module (UIM), a subscriber identity module(SIM), a universal subscriber identity module (USIM), and the like. Inaddition, the device having the identification module (also referred toherein as an “identifying device”) may take the form of a smart card.Accordingly, the identifying device can be connected with the terminal100 via the interface unit 160.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected with an external cradle, theinterface unit 160 can serve as a passage to allow power from the cradleto be supplied to the mobile terminal 100 or may serve as a passage toallow various command signals input by the user from the cradle to betransferred to the mobile terminal there through. Various commandsignals or power input from the cradle may operate as signals forrecognizing that the mobile terminal is properly mounted on the cradle.

The memory 170 can store programs to support operations of thecontroller 180 and store input/output data (for example, phonebook,messages, still images, videos, etc.). The memory 170 may store datarelated to various patterns of vibrations and audio which are output inresponse to touch inputs on the touch screen.

The memory 170 may include one or more types of storage mediumsincluding a Flash memory, a hard disk, a solid state disk, a silicondisk, a multimedia card micro type, a card-type memory (e.g., SD or DXmemory, etc), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Static Random AccessMemory (SRAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a Programmable Read-Only memory(PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and thelike. The mobile terminal 100 may also be operated in relation to anetwork storage device that performs the storage function of the memory170 over a network, such as the Internet.

The controller 180 may typically control the general operations of themobile terminal 100. For example, the controller 180 may set or releasea lock state for restricting a user from inputting a control commandwith respect to applications when a status of the mobile terminal meetsa preset condition.

The controller 180 can also perform the controlling and processingassociated with voice calls, data communications, video calls, and thelike, or perform pattern recognition processing to recognize ahandwriting input or a picture drawing input performed on the touchscreen as characters or images, respectively. In addition, thecontroller 180 can control one or a combination of those components inorder to implement various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power or provide internalpower and supply the appropriate power required for operating respectiveelements and components included in the mobile terminal 100. The powersupply unit 190 may include a battery, which is typically rechargeableor be detachably coupled to the terminal body for charging.

The power supply unit 190 may include a connection port. The connectionport may be configured as one example of the interface unit 160 to whichan external charger for supplying power to recharge the battery iselectrically connected.

As another example, the power supply unit 190 may be configured torecharge the battery in a wireless manner without use of the connectionport. In this example, the power supply unit 190 can receive power,transferred from an external wireless power transmitter, using at leastone of an inductive coupling method which is based on magnetic inductionor a magnetic resonance coupling method which is based onelectromagnetic resonance.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in acomputer-readable medium, a machine-readable medium, or similar mediumusing, for example, software, hardware, or any combination thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the mobile terminal 100 is describedwith reference to a bar-type terminal body. However, the mobile terminal100 may alternatively be implemented in any of a variety of differentconfigurations. Examples of such configurations include watch-type,clip-type, glasses-type, or as a folder-type, flip-type, slide-type,swing-type, and swivel-type in which two and more bodies are combinedwith each other in a relatively movable manner, and combinationsthereof. Discussion herein will often relate to a particular type ofmobile terminal (for example, bar-type, watch-type, glasses-type, andthe like). However, such teachings with regard to a particular type ofmobile terminal will generally apply to other types of mobile terminalsas well.

The mobile terminal 100 will generally include a case (for example,frame, housing, cover, and the like) forming the appearance of theterminal. In this embodiment, the case is formed using a front case 101and a rear case 102. Various electronic components are incorporated intoa space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. Atleast one middle case may be additionally positioned between the frontcase 101 and the rear case 102.

The display unit 151 is shown located on the front side of the terminalbody to output information. As illustrated, a window 151 a of thedisplay unit 151 may be mounted to the front case 101 to form the frontsurface of the terminal body together with the front case 101.

In some embodiments, electronic components may also be mounted to therear case 102. Examples of such electronic components include adetachable battery 191, an identification module, a memory card, and thelike. Rear cover 103 is shown covering the electronic components, andthis cover may be detachably coupled to the rear case 102. Therefore,when the rear cover 103 is detached from the rear case 102, theelectronic components mounted to the rear case 102 are externallyexposed.

As illustrated, when the rear cover 103 is coupled to the rear case 102,a side surface of the rear case 102 is partially exposed. In some cases,upon the coupling, the rear case 102 may also be completely shielded bythe rear cover 103. In some embodiments, the rear cover 103 may includean opening for externally exposing a camera 121 b or an audio outputmodule 152 b.

The cases 101, 102, 103 may be formed by injection-molding syntheticresin or may be formed of a metal, for example, stainless steel (STS),aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), or the like.

As an alternative to the example in which the plurality of cases form aninner space for accommodating components, the mobile terminal 100 may beconfigured such that one case forms the inner space. In this example, amobile terminal 100 having a uni-body is formed in such a manner thatsynthetic resin or metal extends from a side surface to a rear surface.

If desired, the mobile terminal 100 may include a waterproofing unit(not shown) for preventing introduction of water into the terminal body.For example, the waterproofing unit may include a waterproofing memberwhich is located between the window 151 a and the front case 101,between the front case 101 and the rear case 102, or between the rearcase 102 and the rear cover 103, to hermetically seal an inner spacewhen those cases are coupled.

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict certain components as arranged on the mobileterminal. However, it is to be understood that alternative arrangementsare possible and within the teachings of the instant disclosure. Somecomponents may be omitted or rearranged. For example, the firstmanipulation unit 123 a may be located on another surface of theterminal body, and the second audio output module 152 b may be locatedon the side surface of the terminal body.

The display unit 151 outputs information processed in the mobileterminal 100. The display unit 151 may be implemented using one or moresuitable display devices. Examples of such suitable display devicesinclude a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquidcrystal display (TFT-LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), aflexible display, a 3-dimensional (3D) display, an e-ink display, andcombinations thereof.

The display unit 151 may be implemented using two display devices, whichcan implement the same or different display technology. For instance, aplurality of the display units 151 may be arranged on one side, eitherspaced apart from each other, or these devices may be integrated, orthese devices may be arranged on different surfaces.

The display unit 151 may also include a touch sensor which senses atouch input received at the display unit. When a touch is input to thedisplay unit 151, the touch sensor may be configured to sense this touchand the controller 180, for example, may generate a control command orother signal corresponding to the touch. The content which is input inthe touching manner may be a text or numerical value, or a menu itemwhich can be indicated or designated in various modes.

The touch sensor may be configured in a form of a film having a touchpattern, disposed between the window 151 a and a display on a rearsurface of the window 151 a, or a metal wire which is patterned directlyon the rear surface of the window 151 a. Alternatively, the touch sensormay be integrally formed with the display. For example, the touch sensormay be disposed on a substrate of the display or within the display.

The display unit 151 may also form a touch screen together with thetouch sensor. Here, the touch screen may serve as the user input unit123 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the touch screen may replace at least someof the functions of the first manipulation unit 123 a.

The first audio output module 152 a may be implemented in the form of aspeaker to output voice audio, alarm sounds, multimedia audioreproduction, and the like.

The window 151 a of the display unit 151 will typically include anaperture to permit audio generated by the first audio output module 152a to pass. One alternative is to allow audio to be released along anassembly gap between the structural bodies (for example, a gap betweenthe window 151 a and the front case 101). In this case, a holeindependently formed to output audio sounds may not be seen or isotherwise hidden in terms of appearance, thereby further simplifying theappearance and manufacturing of the mobile terminal 100.

The optical output module 154 can be configured to output light forindicating an event generation. Examples of such events include amessage reception, a call signal reception, a missed call, an alarm, aschedule notice, an email reception, information reception through anapplication, and the like. When a user has checked a generated event,the controller can control the optical output unit 154 to stop the lightoutput.

The first camera 121 a can process image frames such as still or movingimages obtained by the image sensor in a capture mode or a video callmode. The processed image frames can then be displayed on the displayunit 151 or stored in the memory 170.

The first and second manipulation units 123 a and 123 b are examples ofthe user input unit 123, which may be manipulated by a user to provideinput to the mobile terminal 100. The first and second manipulationunits 123 a and 123 b may also be commonly referred to as a manipulatingportion, and may employ any tactile method that allows the user toperform manipulation such as touch, push, scroll, or the like. The firstand second manipulation units 123 a and 123 b may also employ anynon-tactile method that allows the user to perform manipulation such asproximity touch, hovering, or the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates the first manipulation unit 123 a as a touch key, butpossible alternatives include a mechanical key, a push key, a touch key,and combinations thereof.

Input received at the first and second manipulation units 123 a and 123b may be used in various ways. For example, the first manipulation unit123 a may be used by the user to provide an input to a menu, home key,cancel, search, or the like, and the second manipulation unit 123 b maybe used by the user to provide an input to control a volume level beingoutput from the first or second audio output modules 152 a or 152 b, toswitch to a touch recognition mode of the display unit 151, or the like.

As another example of the user input unit 123, a rear input unit (notshown) may be located on the rear surface of the terminal body. The rearinput unit can be manipulated by a user to provide input to the mobileterminal 100. The input may be used in a variety of different ways. Forexample, the rear input unit may be used by the user to provide an inputfor power on/off, start, end, scroll, control volume level being outputfrom the first or second audio output modules 152 a or 152 b, switch toa touch recognition mode of the display unit 151, and the like. The rearinput unit may be configured to permit touch input, a push input, orcombinations thereof.

The rear input unit may be located to overlap the display unit 151 ofthe front side in a thickness direction of the terminal body. As oneexample, the rear input unit may be located on an upper end portion ofthe rear side of the terminal body such that a user can easilymanipulate it using a forefinger when the user grabs the terminal bodywith one hand. Alternatively, the rear input unit can be positioned atmost any location of the rear side of the terminal body.

Embodiments that include the rear input unit may implement some or allof the functionality of the first manipulation unit 123 a in the rearinput unit. As such, in situations where the first manipulation unit 123a is omitted from the front side, the display unit 151 can have a largerscreen.

As a further alternative, the mobile terminal 100 may include a fingerscan sensor which scans a user's fingerprint. The controller 180 canthen use fingerprint information sensed by the finger scan sensor aspart of an authentication procedure. The finger scan sensor may also beinstalled in the display unit 151 or implemented in the user input unit123.

The microphone 122 is shown located at an end of the mobile terminal100, but other locations are possible. If desired, multiple microphonesmay be implemented, with such an arrangement permitting the receiving ofstereo sounds.

The interface unit 160 may serve as a path allowing the mobile terminal100 to interface with external devices. For example, the interface unit160 may include one or more of a connection terminal for connecting toanother device (for example, an earphone, an external speaker, or thelike), a port for near field communication (for example, an InfraredData Association (IrDA) port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port, andthe like), or a power supply terminal for supplying power to the mobileterminal 100. The interface unit 160 may be implemented in the form of asocket for accommodating an external card, such as SubscriberIdentification Module (SIM), User Identity Module (UIM), or a memorycard for information storage.

The second camera 121 b is shown located at the rear side of theterminal body and includes an image capturing direction that issubstantially opposite to the image capturing direction of the firstcamera unit 121 a. If desired, second camera 121 a may alternatively belocated at other locations, or made to be moveable, in order to have adifferent image capturing direction from that which is shown.

The second camera 121 b can include a plurality of lenses arranged alongat least one line. The plurality of lenses may also be arranged in amatrix configuration. The cameras may be referred to as an “arraycamera.” When the second camera 121 b is implemented as an array camera,images may be captured in various manners using the plurality of lensesand images with better qualities.

As shown in FIG. 3, a flash 124 is shown adjacent to the second camera121 b. When an image of a subject is captured with the camera 121 b, theflash 124 may illuminate the subject.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second audio output module 152 b can be locatedon the terminal body. The second audio output module 152 b may implementstereophonic sound functions in conjunction with the first audio outputmodule 152 a, and may be also used for implementing a speaker phone modefor call communication.

At least one antenna for wireless communication may be located on theterminal body. The antenna may be installed in the terminal body orformed by the case. For example, an antenna which configures a part ofthe broadcast receiving module 111 may be retractable into the terminalbody. Alternatively, an antenna may be formed using a film attached toan inner surface of the rear cover 103, or a case that includes aconductive material.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100may include a battery 191, which is mounted in the terminal body ordetachably coupled to an outside of the terminal body. The battery 191may receive power via a power source cable connected to the interfaceunit 160. Also, the battery 191 can be recharged in a wireless mannerusing a wireless charger. Wireless charging may be implemented bymagnetic induction or electromagnetic resonance.

The rear cover 103 is shown coupled to the rear case 102 for shieldingthe battery 191, to prevent separation of the battery 191, and toprotect the battery 191 from an external impact or from foreignmaterial. When the battery 191 is detachable from the terminal body, therear case 103 may be detachably coupled to the rear case 102.

An accessory for protecting an appearance or assisting or extending thefunctions of the mobile terminal 100 can also be provided on the mobileterminal 100. As one example of an accessory, a cover or pouch forcovering or accommodating at least one surface of the mobile terminal100 may be provided. The cover or pouch may cooperate with the displayunit 151 to extend the function of the mobile terminal 100. Anotherexample of the accessory is a touch pen for assisting or extending atouch input to a touch screen.

A communication system which is operable with the variously describedmobile terminals will now be described in more detail. Such acommunication system may be configured to utilize any of a variety ofdifferent air interfaces and/or physical layers. Examples of such airinterfaces utilized by the communication system include FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) (including, Long Term Evolution (LTE),LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced)), Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), and the like.

By way of a non-limiting example only, further description will relateto a CDMA communication system, but such teachings apply equally toother system types including a CDMA wireless communication system aswell as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) wirelesscommunication system. A CDMA wireless communication system generallyincludes one or more mobile terminals (MT or User Equipment, UE) 100,one or more base stations (BSs, NodeB, or evolved NodeB), one or morebase station controllers (BSCs), and a mobile switching center (MSC).The MSC is configured to interface with a conventional Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN) and the BSCs. The BSCs are coupled to the basestations via backhaul lines. The backhaul lines may be configured inaccordance with any of several known interfaces including, for example,E1/T1, ATM, IP, PPP, Frame Relay, HDSL, ADSL, or xDSL. Hence, theplurality of BSCs can be included in the CDMA wireless communicationsystem.

Each base station may include one or more sectors, each sector having anomni-directional antenna or an antenna pointed in a particular directionradially away from the base station. Alternatively, each sector mayinclude two or more different antennas. Each base station may beconfigured to support a plurality of frequency assignments, with eachfrequency assignment having a particular spectrum (e.g., 1.25 MHz, 5MHz, etc.).

The intersection of sector and frequency assignment may be referred toas a CDMA channel. The base stations may also be referred to as BaseStation Transceiver Subsystems (BTSs). In some cases, the term “basestation” may be used to refer collectively to a BSC, and one or morebase stations. The base stations may also be denoted as “cell sites.”Alternatively, individual sectors of a given base station may bereferred to as cell sites.

A broadcasting transmitter (BT) transmits a broadcast signal to themobile terminals 100 operating within the system. The broadcastreceiving module 111 of FIG. 1 is typically configured inside the mobileterminal 100 to receive broadcast signals transmitted by the BT.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a camera module, which canbe installed in the mobile terminal or used independently, withreference to the remaining accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a camera module according to anembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectionalview of a camera module according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the above-described camera 121 b can beimplemented as a camera module 200. This camera module 200 can be usedindependently or disposed on a mobile terminal or other devices.

The camera module 200 may include a plurality of image sensors 220 tocreate a stereoscopic image (i.e., 3D image). Although it is describedin the aforementioned embodiment that the flash 124 is disposed adjacentto one side of the second camera 121 b, when the camera module 220includes the plurality of image sensors 220, the flash 124 may bedisposed between the plurality of image sensors 220 (i.e., between aplurality of lens modules 230, which will be described later).

Meanwhile, to create the stereoscopic image more accurately and allowthe image sensed by the plurality of image sensors 220 to have a wideangle of view, the plurality of image sensors 220 should be located atpredetermined fixed positions.

That is, if the plurality of image sensors 220 are tilted or rotated dueto an external shock or heating of a printed circuit board 210, thestereoscopic image may not be accurately generated, or the angle of viewmay be relatively decreased.

For example, when the plurality of image sensors 220 are fixed at thepredetermined positions, if the image sensors 220 are slightly tilted orrotated, it may significantly affect the accuracy of the stereoscopicimage or the angle of view.

Thus, it is desirable that not only the plurality of image sensors 220are fixed at the predetermined positions but also when there is anexternal shock or the printed circuit board 210 generates heat, theinitial alignment of the plurality of image sensors 220 should bemaintained as it is.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the camera module200 may include the printed circuit board (PCB) 210, the plurality ofimage sensors combined with the PCB 210, and lens modules 230 disposedon the plurality of image sensors 220.

The PCB 210 may have a predetermined length. In addition, the PCB mayinclude a plurality of sensor holes 211, which are separated from eachother in the length direction. That is, the plurality of sensor holes211 may be formed such that the sensor holes 211 penetrate the PCB 210and disposed apart from each other by a predetermined spacing in thelength direction.

In addition, the plurality of image sensors 220 may be electricallyconnected to the PCB 210.

Meanwhile, when the image sensor 220 is disposed on the top surface ofthe PCB 210, a socket disposed on the top surface of the image sensor220 should be extended to the bottom surface of the image sensor 220using an adhesive member such as soldering paste. In this case, thethickness of the adhesive member, for example, soldering paste, may beincreased, and it may cause the image sensor to be tilted or rotated.That is, when the image sensor 220 is disposed on the top surface of thePCB 210, there may occur a problem that the initial alignment of theimage sensor 220 is changed (i.e., the initial alignment of the imagesensor 220 is transformed) due to the thick adhesive member disposed onthe bottom surface of the image sensor 220.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the image sensors220 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality ofsensor holes 211 on the bottom surface of the PCB 210. That is, the topsurface of the image sensor 220 may be connected to the bottom surfaceof the PCB 210.

Since the socket for electrically connecting the image sensor 220 to thePCB 210 is disposed on the top surface of the image sensor 220, when thetop surface of the image sensor 220 is directly connected to the bottomsurface of the PCB 210, the thickness of the adhesive member may bedecreased. In addition, the decreased thickness of the adhesive membermay prevent the initial alignment of the plurality of image sensors 220from being changed.

Specifically, a circumference of the top surface of the image sensor 220may be attached to that of the sensor hole 211. Thus, an imagepenetrating through the sensor hole 211 can be sensed or captured by theimage sensor 220.

The image sensor 220 may include a sensor body 221, a sensing unit 222disposed at the center of the sensor body 221, and a first adhesive part223 disposed on a circumference of the sensing unit 222.

The sensor body 221 may be made of a resin material and form theexterior of the image sensor 220. The sensing unit 222 may be disposedsuch that it is exposed through the top surface of the sensor body 221,or the sensing unit 222 may be disposed at the center of the sensor body221. The first adhesive part 223 may be disposed along the circumferenceof the sensing unit 222, and at least part of the first adhesive part223 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the PCB 210. For example,the first adhesive part 223 disposed on the top surface of the sensorbody 221 may be attached to a circumference of the sensor hole 211 onthe bottom surface of the PCB 210 through soldering.

Therefore, the image sensor 220 may be disposed on the bottom surface ofthe PCB 210 such that the sensing unit 222 can recognize an image fromthe front (or top) thereof through the sensor hole 211.

More specifically, the first adhesive part 223 may include a firstsocket 224 for electrically connecting the image sensor 220 to the PCB210. In addition, a second socket 214 corresponding to the first socket224 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the PCB 210. The secondsocket 214 may be disposed along the circumference of the sensor hole211 on the bottom surface of the PCB 210.

In this case, the first socket 224 may be attached to the second socket214. For example, the first socket 224 may be attached to the secondsocket 214 through soldering. That is, since the top surface of theimage sensor 220 is attached to the bottom surface of the PCB 210, thefirst socket 224 may be directly attached to the second socket 214.

Thus, according to the present invention, the thickness of the adhesivemember (e.g., soldering paste) can be decreased compared to when theimage sensor 200 is disposed on the top surface of the PCB 210 and thus,the first socket 224, which is disposed on the top surface of the imagesensor 220, is extended to the bottom surface of the image sensor 220,thereby mitigating the problem that the image sensor 220 is tilted orrotated.

To increase adhesion between the image sensor 220 and PCB 210, anauxiliary adhesive part 225 may be disposed along a circumference of thefirst adhesive part 223. The auxiliary adhesive part 225 may be disposedalong the circumference of the first adhesive part 223 on the topsurface of the image sensor 220. The image sensor 220 may also beattached to the bottom surface of the PCB 210 through the auxiliaryadhesive part 225. The auxiliary adhesive part 225 may be disposed alongthe circumference of the first adhesive part 223 by being separated fromthe first adhesive part 223 by a predetermined spacing.

The lens module 230 may be formed such that external light is focused onthe image sensor 220. The lens module 230 may be disposed at a positioncorresponding to the image sensor 220 on the top surface of the PCB 210.In addition, the number of lens modules 230 may be equal to the numberof image sensors 220.

The lens module 230 may include a hollow lens housing 231, at least onelens 232 included in the lens housing 231, and an ultraviolet filter 233included in the lens housing 231.

The lens housing 231 may be formed such that the top and bottom are openand the inside is empty. To focus light, a plurality of lens 232 may beprovided. The ultraviolet filter 233 may be implemented such thatultraviolet rays are blocked and infrared and visible rays pass. Theultraviolet filter 233 may be disposed on the bottom side of the lens232 within the lens housing 231.

Since the bottom of the lens housing 231 is connected to the top surfaceof the PCB 210, the lens module 230 can be connected to the PCB 210.

For example, a circumference of the lens housing 231 may be greater thanthat of the above-described sensor hole 211. In addition, acircumference of the lens 232 and a circumference of ultraviolet filter233 may also be formed greater than that of the sensor hole 211. Thus,the bottom of the lens housing 231 may be connected to the circumferenceof the sensor hole 211 on the top surface of the PCB 210.

Meanwhile, the camera module 200 may further include a fixed bracket formaintaining the initial alignment of the plurality of image sensorsstably and consistently. The fixed bracket 240 may be connected to thePCB 210 in a state in which the plurality of image sensors 220 arecombined with the fixed bracket 240.

That is, the fixed bracket 240 may be formed such that the plurality ofimage sensors 220 are fixed at the positions corresponding to theplurality of sensor hole 211.

The fixed bracket 240 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the PCB210. Specifically, in a state in which the image sensor is connected tothe top surface of the fixed bracket 240 so that the top surface of theimage sensor 220 is exposed, the top surface of the fixed bracket 240may be attached to the bottom surface of the PCB 210.

In this case, the top surface of the fixed bracket 240 may be attachedto the bottom surface of the PCB 210, and at the same time, the topsurface of the image sensor 220 may be attached to the bottom surface ofthe PCB 210 through the above-described first adhesive part 223 andauxiliary adhesive part 225.

The fixed bracket 240 may include a mounting part 242 on which the imagesensor 220 is disposed and a second adhesive part 243 to be attached tothe bottom surface of the PCB 210. In addition, the fixed bracket 240may include a plurality of mounting parts 242 according to the number ofimage sensors 220.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the fixedbracket 240 includes two mounting parts 242 and the second adhesive part243 is disposed between the two mounting parts 243. However, when thereare three or more image sensors 220 and mounting parts 242 respectively,the second adhesive part 243 may be disposed between neighboringmounting parts 242.

When the second adhesive part 243 is attached to the bottom surface ofthe PCB 210 using an adhesive member such as a resin, a space S isformed between an edge part, which is formed at both ends of the fixedbracket 240 along the length direction of the fixed bracket 240, and thebottom surface of the PCB 210. Thus, heat generated by the PCB 210 maybe dissipated through the space S.

The image sensor 220 may be substantially clamped or attached to themounting part 242. The number and size of the mounting parts 242 may bedetermined according to the number and size of the plurality of imagesensors 220. In particular, the size of the mounting part 242 may bedetermined such that it matches the size of the image sensor 220.

The mounting part 242 may be formed to have a concave upward shape. Thatis, compared to the second adhesive part 243, the mounting part 242 maybe depressed upward. In other words, the second adhesive part 243 mayprotrude upward compared to the mounting part 242.

Specifically, the fixed bracket 240 may include a fixed bracket body241, and the mounting part 242 and second adhesive part 243 may bedisposed on the fixed bracket body 241.

More specifically, the mounting part 242 may be formed on the fixedbracket body 241 such that the mounting part 242 is concavely depressedtoward the inside (or downward direction). In addition, the secondadhesive part 243 may be disposed on the undepressed top surface of thefixed bracket body 241.

For example, the mounting part 242 may be formed such that it has thesame circumference and depth as the image sensor 220. In this case, theimage sensor 220 may be clamped to the mounting part in a tight fitmanner.

Unlike the above-described example, the circumference and depth of themounting part 242 may be greater than the circumference and depth of theimage sensor 220. In this case, the image sensor 220 may be attachedwithin the mounting part 242 using adhesive. For instance, the bottomand side surfaces of the image sensor 220 may be respectively attachedto the bottom and side surfaces of the mounting part 242 using adhesive.

As described above, the image sensor 220 may be substantially fixed tothe mounting part 242 either in a tight fit manner or using adhesive.

Meanwhile, the second adhesive part 243 included in the fixed bracket240 may be attached to the bottom surface of the PCB 210 using flexibleresin. This is to prevent the attachment between the PCB 210 and fixedbracket 240 from being damaged due to heat generated by the PCB 210 andimage sensor 220.

In addition, to dissipate the heat generated by the PCB 210 and imagesensor 220, the fixed bracket 240 may be made of a heat conductionmaterial. That is, to fix the position of the image sensor 220, and atthe same time to dissipate the heat generated by the PCB 210 and imagesensor 220, the fixed bracket 240 may be made of aluminum, ceramic,aluminum alloy, ceramic alloy, etc.

The above-described single PCB 210 is sufficient to operate the lensmodule 200. That is, the plurality of image sensors 220 and theplurality of lens modules 230 can be connected to the single PCB 210.

This is because the image sensors 220 are directly and electricallyconnected to the PCB 210. In addition, various electronics componentscan be disposed between neighboring lens modules 230 (i.e., betweenneighboring sensor holes 211) on the top surface of the PCB 210.

As described above, it is possible to efficiently use a space betweenthe neighboring lens modules 230 on the top surface of the PCB 210, andthus the structure of the camera module 200 can be smaller and slimmer.

For example, at least one of an infrared (IR) emitter 216, the flash124, and a control unit 218 may be disposed between the plurality ofsensor holes 211 on the top surface of the PCB 210. Moreover, thecontrol unit 218 can be electrically connected to the image sensors 220,the IR emitter 216, and the flash 124 through the PCB 210.

The foregoing embodiments are merely exemplary and are not to beconsidered as limiting the present disclosure. The present teachings canbe readily applied to other types of methods and apparatuses. Thisdescription is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scopeof the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods,and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described hereinmay be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments.

As the present features may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understoodthat the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of thedetails of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, butrather should be considered broadly within its scope as defined in theappended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fallwithin the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metesand bounds, are therefore intended to be embraced by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A camera module, comprising: a printed circuitboard shaped to define a plurality of holes separated at a distance fromeach other, wherein the printed circuit board includes a top side and abottom side; a plurality of image sensors positioned relative to thebottom side of the printed circuit board, wherein each image sensor ofthe plurality of image sensors is positioned to cooperate with arespective one of the plurality of holes; and a plurality to lensmodules positioned relative to the top side of the printed circuitboard, wherein each lens module of the plurality of lens modules ispositioned to cooperate with a respective one of the plurality of holesand with a respective one of the plurality of image sensors.